A/N: Yeah, yeah. It's been over a week, and I haven't posted. That's because RL sucks right now . . . but I finally had time to write this chapter (albeit a short one). IMPORTANT STUFF GOES DOWN! So read and review! (You can even rant about how long it's been since I updated :) ENJOY!

Lovely CI byBrokenButterfly@ TDA!

“Charlie!” Charlie immediately turned around. It was Rose; she was crying.

“What is it? What happened?” There was only an hour before the match. Rose just cried harder, eventually she looked at Charlie, her eyes wide with fear.

“It’s James.”

*~*~*~*~*~*

James. Charlie didn’t know know what to think anymore. First, he was nice. Then she became his punching bag. (metaphorically) And now . . . Charlie didn’t know. He gave his life to save her. No, it was for Albus.

But Charlie knew that wasn’t completely true. She had just watched him fight with everything he had just to play in a Quidditch match. She had seen him break down, she had seen him become a teddy bear for Lily, and she had seen him when the world was pushing him over the edge. Charlie had seen so many sides of James that she had never knew existed. Charlie was completely and utterly confused. But she was also furious with him, for everything he had done: to her and to everyone else. To himself.

Deep down, Charlie was the most angry at herself. She thought she had James Potter figured out, but it turned out she didn’t know him at all. She hadn’t known about his issues, about what he was dealing with, or what he was really like. She, who hated when people judged people based because they had the courage to differentiate, had judged James Potter since the first time he yelled at her.

And there came Charlie’s guilt. She knew James wasn’t an innocent little puppy, but she had made his life that much harder. For someone who had many of her own problems, she was completely oblivious to James’s.

“Miss Grace?”

She had been so cruel to him. Now he’s probably somewhere, coughing up blood.

“Miss Grace!”

Charlie had always thought it was his problem, not hers. But it turned out she was just as much at fault as he was.

“CHARLIE!” Charlie was snapped out of her thoughts by Rose’s voice. “Did you hear what the healer said?” Charlie flushed while Austin chuckled. It was only him, Rose, Laurel, and Skye left with Charlie. The rest were trying to find a certain Potter. (Hint: his name started with ‘J’ and ended with ‘ames’.)

“Apparently not,” the healer said wryly. “I was just saying you’re released, Miss Grace, as the charms have finished your work. You are now fully capable of normal activity, but be careful when playing Quidditch. You’ll be going back to Hogwarts, along with your classmates, as soon as we locate Mr. Potter.” Everyone glared; they made it sound like he was an inconvenience. Even Austin, who didn’t get on with James, looked angered. After what James did, how could someone treat him like he’s dirt? Except for you, the snide voice in Charlie’s head remarked. Charlie knew it was right.

“Okay. Thank you.” The Healer left. There was a question that was in the back of Charlie’s mind, but she hadn’t had the courage to ask Rose yet, because she probably knew the answer.

“Did they ever . . . did they come back for me?” Charlie asked as soon as he left. Rose looked her in the eye.

“Your Nan was here the first night, but I don’t know. We only saw you a few times; McGonagall didn’t want us to miss school.” Figures. They didn’t even send her a note on her birthday, much less come and see her when she was in a coma.

“Even when I just what you to leave me the hell alone?” Charlie asked, looking annoyed.

“Especially then,” Rose said with a smile. Charlie smiled back, before turning to Austin.

“Oi! I have to change, so get out, Austin!” Austin just smirked.

“Why would I have to leave, milady?” Charlie smacked him, and Austin left.

“I brought you some clothes from the dorm. Figured you want it,” Rose said, handing her the clothes before standing up to leave.

“Thanks, Rose.” Rose smiled but turned to walk away, but Charlie spoke again. “You don’t have to leave, you know. There’s curtains. I just wanted Austin to leave for a minute.”

“Okay.” And so Charlie disappeared behind the curtains.

*~*~*~*~*~*

“They found him,” Rose said, sitting on an empty bed when Charlie reemerged. “He was on the roof again.”

“What is up with that boy and roofs?” Charlie asked, but Rose didn’t smile. Charlie immediately understood. “Rose, he’s not going to pitch himself off one. He’s going to stick it out, be all noble and that sort of hippogriff dung.”

“Still . . .” Rose wasn’t convinced. As Charlie’s duty as a best mate, she had to convince her. She and Albus had written a code in first year, and they all still abode by it.

“Look; the boy likes flying, so he probably likes the element of heights. So when he’s on a roof . . .” Charlie reasoned, leaving the rest unsaid. Rose nodded.

“I’m just worried. It’s James, Charlie. He’s unpredictable at the best of times . . .” Rose couldn’t finish. Charlie looked her in the eye.

“This isn’t the best of times, I get it. But I know what James would say-” Rose snorted, but Charlie ignored her, “-and he would say this: He. Made. His. Choice.”

“He would say that, wouldn’t he? But I would lower the voice a little,” Rose replied, giggling slightly.

“Don’t you ever say that again, Charlotte Grace! You are worth saving!” Rose softened, her voice going down to a whisper. “I just can’t think of losing either of you.”

Charlie pulled her friend into a hug. “I’m not going anywhere. James won’t, either, at least not until after we beat Hufflepuff.”

“You don’t know that,” Rose said bluntly.

“It’s James. Do you really think he’d let something like him dying get in the way of Quidditch?” Charlie tried to lighten the mood.

“But-” Rose started, but Charlie cut her off.

“No buts. You have to be positive.” Charlie had to stay strong. She had to, for James. For James? You mean for Rose and Al, right?

“James is going to die, Charlie! How am I supposed to be positive? How can you think everything is going to be fine? It’s not, Charlie! Someone’s going to die! I thought you were going to die, and a day later you think everything is okay? How can you think like that?” Charlie looked down.

“I just can’t afford to think like anything else.”

*~*~*~*~*~*

“Are you lot ready to go?” Mrs. Potter asked, looking at the rest of us, before staring pointedly at James. He rolled his eyes.

“I’m fine, Mum,” he replied, but for some reason he looked unsure.

“Just owl us if anything happens,” his dad said. James looked like he was about to retort. Charlie only had one thought:

Well . . . this is awkward.

“Oi! When we get back, we’re having a practice. Charlie’s been out for a while, and the match is in a week.” Charlie groaned. She was standing behind the mass of people, having just arrived with Rose. “Oh, hey Charlie.”

“Don’t. Talk. To. Me.” Charlie ground out.

“What did I do now?” James looked exasperated.

“Talk to me after you cancel practice,” Charlie amended. James laughed; it boomed around the room. Albus looked like Christmas had come early. James probably hadn’t laughed like that in a while.

“Still as cheeky as ever, Grace.” But James was smiling. So was Charlie. Albus wasn’t, however. He groaned.

“Not this again . . .” Charlie smiled.

She was back, James was smiling, (she hadn’t seen that since before she joined the team) and they were about to play Quidditch. All was right with the world.

Except for the fact that James was dying.

*~*~*~*~*~*

“Ten laps.”

“Seriously?” Charlie felt an odd sense of deja vu. She had been back at Hogwarts for a total of three days. She’d all ready had two practices, which actually went smoothly . . . until he called this one at 4:30 in the morning. Charlie had enough to do; missing school for a month tended to create a lot of material to learn. Especially in O.W.L. year. So Charlie felt like she was back to square one, like she had been the week before her last match.

Early morning practice, check.

One pissed off Captain, check.

Charlie as beater, check. (in case you didn’t know, this was Charlie’s recipe for disaster)

“Charlie, you need to calm down. You just pulled a stupid stunt, and our captain, albeit an idiotic one, is making you pay for it. .” The eloquent charms of Austin Wood, everyone.

“Was it really that dangerous?” Charlie asked, and everyone nodded. She swore. James decided to ‘take control’ of the situation. (aka piss off Charlie)

“I’m still captain, Charlie.” Since when were me and James on a first name basis. . . Charlotte thought to herself. Charlie cursed, realizing she had done it again.

“Quit your whining, Charlie. I’m sorry, but you need to learn not to pull such dangerous tricks. If you think I worked you so hard, then add another ten laps. Push yourself. I want to win my last match.” Damn. That’s all Charlie’s mind could process. Was she really that whiny?

“Fine.” So Charlie grit her teeth and got to it. Truth be told, she needed to get back into shape. She came back up some half an hour later, breathing heavily.

“Are you ready to try the play again?” Charlie nodded, and James gave her a smile, but it had that manic Quidditch glint in it, so it ruined it. “Now don’t try to kill yourself so you don’t have to run.” Charlie didn’t know how she had gotten to being nice to James Potter, but now she appeared to want to murder him. Massacre him. Annihilate him. (Slowly and painfully)

“Seriously, Charlie, don’t push him. Next time he said he’d start treating you like a cat by spraying you with water periodically while you run,” Austin muttered as he passed. Charlie gasped; it was December! The water would freeze!

“Come on! Only fifteen more minutes; push through! Hufflepuff has a good team this year!” Charlie heard a snort. Standing on the field below was a Slytherin. “Go to the locker rooms!” James barked. “Wait for me; I want to talk strategy!” While the rest of the team left, Charlie (naturally) decided to eavesdrop.

“Hufflepuff have a good team? Really, James?” A voice asked dryly.

“We need to practice. Why are you here, Ellie? Where’s Maddy?” He replied stiffly. The girl took an involuntary step back.

“What’s wrong, Ellie?” James Potter looked like he was talking to his little sister again.

“M-Maddy w-wanted me to t-tell you, but I-” But then she burst out into tears. James cursed.

“What’s wrong?” James repeated, pulling her into his chest. He looked as though he thought by hugging her he could shield her from what was bothering her. Charlie thought they'd make a cute couple; the girl looked smart and short, with her big eyes and even bigger glasses in her short frame. James was tall and exactly the opposite, and even their houses were opposite . . . Charlie would have to talk to Albus about it later.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” That’s all she would say, along with ‘it’s all my fault’. James looked increasingly angry. Then he looked down. The girl had rolled up her sleeves, and was trying to calm herself, but James saw something that set him off at the girl.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?” he roared. The Slytherin followed his eyes, and her eyes widened in fear.

“It’s-it’s not what-what it looks like. I swear it! I swear, James!” The girl pleaded. “I’m sorry.” She turned to run, but James grabbed her wrist, though she struggled and writhed, trying to escape.

“WHO DID THIS TO YOU?” Charlie couldn’t see what was on the girl’s arm, but James looked furious . . . and scared. Finally, the girl snapped and stopped struggling, but screamed up at him, as he was around a foot taller than her.

“THAT’S WHAT I WAS GOING TO TELL YOU! MADDY TOLD ME TO TELL YOU, BUT I KNEW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN! AND WHY WOULD I TRUST YOU; YOU’RE JUST MY MERLIN FORSAKEN POTIONS PARTNER! BUT SHE SAID TO TELL YOU!” The girl sounded crazed, and her eyes darted around like a trapped animal. “And oh Merlin . . . Maddy! Maddy and him, he has her! He has my best friend! He has you, James; there’s nothing left! Oh Merlin. Oh Merlin. Oh Merlin.” She looked like she had cracked. James pulled her into a hug again.

“Sh, Ellie, sh. It’ll be all right, it’ll be all right,” he comforted, but she wouldn’t still. She was shaking, and after five straight minutes she calmed. James was the one who calmed her. James the one who was there for the mysterious girl, even though they were only Potion's partners. The same James Charlie thought was heartless, was showing such compassion towards the girl, like it was his duty to prove to the girl, who looked broken and even tinier than before, that the world was all right. The same James who was dying.

“Let’s talk.” And the two left together, leaving Charlie utterly confused.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Charlie didn’t tell a soul what she’d seen. The girl obviously had issues, and she and ‘Maddy’ obviously knew James. But she couldn't help but dream that James would kiss the girl, after showing such emotion on the Quidditch Pitch. Charlie kept getting odd vibes from him, as if he fancied her, and she was so confused she didn't want him to 'make a move'. Plus, she really didn’t have time to wonder. Her schedule went like this:

Mornings: Catch up on schoolwork/play Quidditch/eat

Classes: Try to understand it/ask Rose after she was done

Night: Do schoolwork/play Quidditch

In fact, the rest of the week passed in a blur. She played Quidditch and wrote essays, while the rest of the castle gossiped about her (and James) and bet on the match. But it all changed on the morning of the match.

Charlie had been sitting in the Great Hall, and having woken up early, the rest of the team hadn’t come down to the Great Hall yet. Rose had sat with her, before going to find James, something about his dad being there. He had been oddly absent after the meeting with the girl, but Rose said it was probably because he had schoolwork and therapy on top of Quidditch when Charlie asked where he disappeared to. Charlie wasn’t as easily fooled; James was coughing more, and Charlie knew he was just trying to hide the fact he was in pain.

So Charlie sat there, worrying about James and the match. She was just about to head down to the pitch, as the rest of team was just arriving, when a voice called her name.

“Charlie!” Charlie immediately turned around. It was Rose; she was crying.

“What is it? What happened?” There was only an hour before the match. Rose just cried harder, eventually she looked at Charlie, her eyes wide with fear.

“It’s James.”

A/N: Hey all! I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner, and with this short, unedited chapter as it is. BUT, RL has been horrible lately, and I finally had time to write this chapter. It's part one, and a lot more happens from the next chapter, which will be from James's POV.

BUT . . . look at what I managed to squeeze into this (horrible) chapter.

Who thinks Ellie and James could make a cute couple?

Who thinks James and Charlie?

Who thinks Charlie and Al?

I actually don't know as of now, but I know how it will end . . . except for the ships. SO . .. you lot need to tell me what you think IN A REVIEW!!!!!

Seriously . . . please. RL has made me want to cry right now, so please help a sad thirteen-year-old who has had everyone tear her down for the past week feel happy. :)

I'm not kidding; I've had at least ten people hell-bent on making me feel like nothing would be a step up this week, and I'm feeling sad. :(

Reviews actually do make me smile. :) Especially since I might be starting to a cliche crush on my best friend. (who IS a guy and sees me as 'one of the guys')